Simple portable coolers formed of hard-walled metal or plastic and designed solely to maintain food and beverages at low temperatures are well known in the art. For example, hard-sided insulated containers, such as coolers and jugs, are manufactured in a variety of shapes and sizes by The Coleman Company of Wichita, Kans. Lightweight soft-sided devices which serve similar as well as additional functions such as serving food, holding beverage containers and holding a mobile or cellular telephone for easy retrieval would be desirable.
Such devices would make more convenient the conveyance of food, beverage and utensils to outdoor events such as beach outings, barbecues, picnics and football games, and at the same time would provide a convenient dining surface for serving the food and beverage. Another desired feature would be securing such a device to the seat of a car, van or truck to permit transport of the carrying device in a vehicle without danger of spillage or overturning of the contents in routine driving maneuvers.
For example, a portable carrying device modified by an attached tray would be capable of serving food by providing a table surface, thereby enhancing the utility of simple portable coolers. If further modified by a beverage holder, the cooler would then be capable of concurrently serving a beverage by securely holding a can or cup for ready consumption with the user's meal.
Such a tray and beverage holder combination could conveniently hold snacks or a sandwich while simultaneously serving drinks such as a carbonated beverage or juice, and would thus obviate the need for additional carriers and devices such as a ground cover or tarpaulin on which the food and beverage would ordinarily rest while eating and drinking. Moreover, such additional features would also maintain food and beverage well above ground level and thereby diminish the possibility of sand, dirt, crawling insects and the like contaminating the food and beverage. Therefore, such a multi-functional portable carrying device would improve the user's enjoyable and sanitary consumption of food and beverage.